Handrail and the like and method of manufacturing same



E. JOHANSSON.

HANDRAIL AND THE LIKE AND METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED IuIIIE 7, I9I9.

@9372,81 @D Pafented Man 29, 1921..

v2 SHEFTS--SHEETi E. OHANSSON.

HANDRAIL AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEI, 1919.

M5725@ l @I mmm MMI 2g? Im.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATS eaten-r ERIK JOHANSSON, OF EDSBYN, SWEDEN.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patent-ed Mar. 29, i921.

Application filed Tune 7, 1919. Serial No. 302,536.

To all whom t may concer/n.'

Be it known that l, ERIK JoHANssoN, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Edsbyn, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in Handrails and the like and Methods of Manufacturing Same, of which the follow ing is a specilication.

rEhe present invention relates to an improvement in jointless curved rails and bars, particularly hand-rails to be used tor staircases and the like, and to a method of manufacturing such rails and bars. Heretofore such curved rails have been manufactured by sawing curved pieces of a wooden board of suiiicient width and thickness, and by joining the ends of said pieces so as to obtain a hand-rail of sufficient length. This method of manufacture is unsatisfactory in several respects, it being time-wasting, and the joints spoiling the look ci the hand-rail and making it fragile.

The purpose ot' the present invention is to avoid the said disadvantages. rlhe improved method of manufacture consists in assembling a number oi' pliable ribs having comparatively small width and thickness into a hollow bar or rail of the desired shape, the assembling being preferably made around a pliable core of wood. Said core may consist, for instance, of a wooden bar provided with a deep `helical groove so as to become pliable. Bands are then attached and are tightened around the bar thus assembled by means of wedges or in other suitable manner. The assembled bar is then bent to the desired shape, and a strong adhesive is poured into the cavity formed by the groove in the core, so that the adhesive reaches the ribs. ln order to obtain a goed adhesion between the ribs the side faces of said ribs should be so arranged as to provide a space or slot between every two ribs on the inside of the bar into which spaces the adhesive may penetrate. The adhesive may preferably consist ot a glue solution. lVhen said adhesive has become dry the bands arer removed, when a jointless rail of neat appearance is obtained` instead of a wooden bar with a deep helical groove a wooden strip or band wound helically may serve as a core, the turns or windings ot said strip being placed at a distance from one another so that the adhesive poured into the bar may reach the ribs forming the shell of the bar or rail. Several advantages are hereby obtained. The aperture through which the adhesive must flow for reaching the ribs becomes larger, so that it is possible to use a stronger adhesive which is less liquid and consequently requires a larger space for flowing. 1When the bar has been iilled and the lower end ot' the bar is opened, the superfluous adhesive may ilow out which will allow tie bar to dry rapidly, said drying being also facilitated by the i'act that a large quantity ot air may flow through the large aperture in the core.

It is also suitable to make the wedgeshaped slots or openings between the ribs somewhat wider on the inner side so that the adhesive will easily low into the seams and along the outer face of the core. The ribs may be provided with tongues and grooves, so that the ribs will it more easily, whereby the trimming of the completed rail will be facilitated and the surface of the rail formed by the ribs will become more tight so that the adhesive can not penetrate through the seams.

lt is also possible to omit the core, in which case the ribs should be made somewhat thicker in the radial direction so as to provide sufficient strength and rigidness of the shell formed by the ribs.

An embodiment oi' the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l shows a cross section of a rail produced according to the present method, and Fig. 2 shows a side view of a portion ot said rail. Fig. 3 shows a side view of the' core. Fig. L shows a side view of another construction of the core, and Fig. 5 shows a cross section of a rail utilizing the core shown in Fig. 1l.

Referring to Figs. l to 3, the ribs l are arranged around a core 2 provided with a. helical groove 5, said ribs being retained in positions around said core by means of bands 3 which are tightened by the aid or wedges 4. Eis shown in Fig. l the ribs l are et' such shape that there will be formed spaces or slots 6 having angular cross sectionsbetween the ribs on the' inside of the shell formed by the ribs. `When the bar has been bent to the desired shape the adhesive is poured into one end of the bar, the adhesive llowing into the groove 5 and into the spaces 6 so that the ribs will be properly glued together.

ln order to facilitate the flowing of the adhesive between the core and the ribs it is suitable to provide the core with cuts in its outer surface, or to make the outer surface of the screw thread formed in the core con- Vex so that the middle portion of said sur :tace becomes somewhat higher than the side portions.

The core may also consist of short pieces provided with apertures, cuts, or openings in one manner or other so as to allow the adhesive to reach the ribs.

lt will also be understood that the groove need not be helical, but that it may have another suitable shape, and also that one or several such grooves may be provided to suit various circumstances.

In the construction shown in el and 5 the core consists of a Wooden band l2, strip, or tlie'like wount lielically, the turns or windings out said band being placed at such distances iroin one another as to provide a space or clearance l5 betwee the saine. '.lhe core also obtains large central aperture 17 through which the adhesive may flow. y

The side faces or" the ribs 1l are cut off at the inner edges so as to provide coniparatively spacious Wedgefshaped Oroove 16 between the sanie rendering' it possible for the adhesive to penetrate into the seam and along' the outer surface of the core. mentioned above each rib isprovided with a tongue 18 on one side' and with a corresponding groove in the other side.

l claim:

l. rlhe method of manufacturing curved rails ttor hand-rails and the like, which consists in assembling a plurality of pliable ribs into a hollenT shell, bending said shell to the desired shape, and pouring an adhesive into said shell.

2. rlhe method of manufacturing curved rails for hand-rails and the like, which consists in assembling a plurality of pliable ribs into a hollow shell, retaining said shell together by suitable nieans, bending said shell to the desired shape, and pouring an adhesive `into said shell.

y 3. rEhe method of manufacturing curi/ei` rails for hand-rails and the like, which consists in assembling a plurality pliable ribs into a shell around a pliable core provided With a groove, bending said shell to the desired shape, and pouring anadhesive into said groo ve Within said shell.

l. The method ot' manufacturing" curved rails 1tor hand-rails and the like, which consists in assemblinga plurality of pliable ribs into a shell around a pliable core consisting` of a Wooden band Wound helically, bending said shell into the desiredshape, and pour ingadhesive into said core.

ERlK JGHANSSON. 

